Page 3 - The Jewish Voice - March '22

The Jewish Voice, Page 3

From the rabbis

You’re a Diamond in the the same size as the Chabad of Palm Beach Gardens, the dwell among deep wisdom and profound emotion; however,
the fact that G-d is able to reside in such seemingly mundane
structure was made up of gold, silver, and copper; turquoise,
Rough scarlet, and purple wools; linen, goat hair, and various kinds natural resources opens our eyes to the fact that things are
of animal skins; oils, spices, and numerous precious stones. not what they seem. There is beauty, power, and majesty
By Rabbi Dovid Vigler It was stunning indeed! all around us, but we are almost always completely blind
Isn’t it amazing how the But why would G-d Almighty need a tiny little home? to that magic!
same G-d that created oceans Isn’t He everywhere? If G-d has a home in the Tabernacle, Growth of new life is produced when an apparently
and mountains and galaxies does that mean we can no longer access Him from wherever repulsive seed decomposes in the shmutz. There simply
also found it necessary for we are? What is this even supposed to mean? is no other way to create food and grow plants and trees.
there to be one of you in For five portions, the Torah obsesses over the details of Clearly, things are not what they seem.
His beautiful world too? the construction like a homeowner fusses over fabrics and The birth of a new spirit, life itself, is only possible
But have you ever wondered paint colors with their interior designer. It seems a little through a physical union of two people. What might seem
why He needs you so much? shallow for G-d Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth, a selfish submission to our basest urges actually contains
A beautiful answer lies in to be so focused on such seeming trivialities. within it the G-dly power of creation. The sullied charcoal
the Torah portion where we In a brilliant analysis, the Rebbe explains that it’s not ultimately becomes a dazzling diamond, and there’s nothing
learn about the magnificent that G-d was seeking a home for Him to live in, but rather about an ordinary caterpillar that tells you it’s going to be
home that G-d asks the Jewish People to build for Him after that He was paving the way for us to connect with Him. a beautiful butterfly!
they received the Torah on Mount Sinai. Spanning roughly You might think it strange that an Infinite G-d could only In the early morning of July 16, 1945, a few dozen men
gathered on the outskirts of the town of Los Alamos, in
the deserts of New Mexico. These men were privy to the
most guarded military secret of the time, the Manhattan
Project, America’s concerted effort to research, develop,
and build the world’s first nuclear weapon. That morning
was the “Trinity” test, the first testing of an explosive
nuclear device.
At exactly 5:29 a.m., an enormous explosion went off,
and a bright, multicolored flash many times brighter than
the sun lit up the entire desert sky as far as the eye could
see. Equivalent to 25 kilotons of TNT, the explosion rattled
windows far, far away from the testing site; it was visible
up to two hundred miles away and audible up to fifty miles
away. Its frightening yellow-orange plume rushed up to
the sky, resulting in a mushroom-shaped cloud reaching
7.5 miles high.
The scientists looked on with mixed feelings of
accomplishment and horror, understanding that what
they had just achieved would herald the end of the most
devastating war in history, but would also change the
world forever.
Nuclear energy is the most powerful force known to
man. But what is nuclear energy? It is the most material,
physical, tangible, thing in existence. It is a nucleus, tapping
the essence of matter itself. How can the most basic matter
have the most profound impact? How can the fissure or
fusion of the tiniest material generate the greatest earth-
shattering and heaven-piercing energy?
Because G-d created the world in a precise, intentional
manner within the ordinary, inanimate, lifeless piece
of physical matter, there is unbound and unbelievable
energy. When untapped, no one knows it’s there. But when
tapped, the energy found within matter itself can change
everything, for better or for worse. If you can just figure out
how to break the atom inside (or fuse two atoms together),
For complete orthopaedic and there’s no limit to what can be produced. A fork or a cup
may look lifeless, but there is limitless Divinely imbued
sports medicine care, there’s no other option. energy within it.

There is profound greatness all around us and we are
completely blind to it. Things are not what they seem. When
They’re your joints – don’t trust them to anyone else. From robotic assisted the Torah tells us that G-d desired a home in the physical
surgeries that speed recovery times to the very surgeons who helped resources of this world, He was showing us that even basic
materials have the capacity to contain the Divine. If this is
develop and advance the technology, South Florida’s #1 hospital true of the inanimate, natural resources of this earth, how
is your only choice for complete orthopaedic care. much more so is it true of the living creatures with whom
G-d endowed the most spectacular gifts of cognizance,
communication, and creativity. When G-d breathed life into
you, he filled you with greatness and purpose. Like a good
seed breaking through the dirt, you were created to rise above
every obstacle. You are so much greater than you realize!
Once, when the Chassid Reb Monya Monoson had a
private audience with the fifth Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Sholom
Dovber Schneersohn (known as the Rebbe Rashab), their
discussion concerned several simple individuals whom the
rebbe praised. This surprised Reb Monya, and he asked
the rebbe, “What’s the big deal [about them]?” The rebbe
responded, “They possess special qualities,” to which Reb
Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties Monya replied, “I don’t see it.”
U.S. News & World Report 2021-22
Reb Monya was a successful diamond merchant. When
the rebbe asked him whether he had a pouch of diamonds
with him, he responded affirmatively. “However,” he said,
“due to the lack of sunshine, it would not be advisable to
examine them presently.” Later Reb Monya took the pouch
into a second room and displayed the diamonds, pointing
out the incredible quality of one specific stone. The rebbe
remarked, “I don’t see anything special in it,” to which Reb
Monya replied, “[For that,] one must be a maven (expert).”
The rebbe then told him, “When it comes to seeing
Coral Springs | Weston | West Palm Beach the special qualities of a Jew’s soul, one also has to be a
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Rabbi Dovid Vigler is spiritual leader at Chabad of Palm
Beach Gardens and host of the Jewish Schmooze Radio
Show. Email him at rabbi@jewishgardens.com